Vatican lodges ‘unprecedented’ diplomatic protest against Italy’s anti-homophobia law
- The Vatican insists marriage is between a man and a woman, opposes gay adoption and regards ‘gender ideology’ as a threat to traditional family values
- New law was passed by the lower house of parliament in November but its final approval is far from guaranteed as it faces stiff opposition in the Senate
According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, the Vatican argued in a letter, or note verbale, that the bill violates the Concordat, the bilateral treaty between Rome and the Holy See, by curtailing Catholic freedom of belief and expression.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the document was “informally delivered” to the Italian ambassador to the Holy See on June 17.
“It is an unprecedented act in the history of relations between the two states – or at least, there are no public precedents,” Corriere said, adding that the note was presented by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Pope Francis’ de facto foreign minister.
Since his election in 2013, Francis has adopted a softer tone on homosexuality, notably saying “who am I to judge?” and agreeing to same-sex couples being granted legal recognition.